Operant Conditioning

Basenji Training
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  • eeeefarmE

    Since the subject comes up from time to time, it is useful if everyone applies the terminology correctly. I dug around and found a pretty good explanatory article here.

    For anyone who took psychology, this is not new news, but with the current popularity of "all positive" dog training, it's useful to understand where it comes from. B.F. Skinner's work is hardly new or modern, but it is certainly in vogue these days! Unfortunately it is also frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted. Understanding the basics is helpful when you are observing how an animal is reacting to your training methods, and can help one make good decisions about both reinforcement and punishment. IMO, many people make the mistake of not moving to a variable reinforcement schedule once a behaviour is established. Anyhow, I hope the article is helpful in clarifying the terms and the science behind them.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    6

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    Management is the greatest tool for preventing this kind of behavior. Also, as others have mentioned, exercise and wearing them out energetically is very useful as well. If they have access to an appropriate toy to chew on, are managed correctly, and get enough daily exercise, you shouldn't have too many problems.
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    Chase is great... if he's chasing you. But if you're chasing him, this is very bad. Playing chase, with him chasing you, will also help with engagement. Play chase with food. Also, I would recommend hand-feeding for (at least) a month. You want to build value in you. In addition, it has to be said, that some puppies are just lazy and like being bummy. You can encourage active behavior by making yourself valuable (so he wants to be around you) and by making activities valuable. At 6 months however, you might be out of luck. Still, it's your dog, so it's probably worth it to give it a dedicated try. You also, might want to try using more valuable food rewards (like steak, cheese, etc. (whatever he loves and doesn't typically get much of)). Best of luck.